#57 - Gray Sea Salt

A friend recently gave me a delicious little present from Starbucks. Salted Almond Chocolate Bites!! (The blue label in this photo).

I notice the strangest things and couldn't help but wonder why it said "gray sea salt". I mean, what's the difference in sea salt and gray sea salt. Why make the distinction on a package?

Gray sea salt is an unrefined sea salt usually found around France's Atlantic Coast. Gray sea salt is gaining fame and popularity lately in culinary preparation and is thought by many to be the best sea salt available.

So basically does that mean it's just sea salt from the French coast? Anyone else know what makes is special? Just wondering. :)

#56 - Can you overdose on Vitamin D?

You Are My Sunshine Print by LilyCole on Etsy, $45

Dear Vitamin D...you are my sunshine. It's dark and icky here in Kentucky about half the year and the other half of the year I have to wear sunscreen because I sun-fry too easily.

So we all know that you can get too much sun...especially those of us who are super pale. Because of my paleness, I tend to avoid the sun and last year I had some routine bloodwork done which uncovered a serious Vitamin D deficiency. My doctor prescribed 50,000 i.u. (international units) of Vitamin D weekly for 6 weeks to get my vitamin D levels up. Because vitamin D is fat soluble, it is stored in your fat.

Thinking back on this, I can't help but wonder whether you can overdose on vitamin D. I ask this because my vitamin has vitamin D in it and so does my calcium supplement. During the winter it's unlikely I am exposed to the sun enough to make any vitamin D of my own but during cycling season, I'm outside often. So, can you get too much of a good thing when it comes to vitamin D??

There is no risk of overdosing from Vitamin D from sun exposure because our bodies have a built in overdose prevention system (the darkening of our skin). However, supplemental vitamin D bypasses our built in defense mechanism since you can take vitamin D regardless of how dark your skin has gotten.

It is unlikely a person will overdose on Vitamin D3 (the type contained in many vitamin supplement pills). But, it can happen. The main symptom of vitamin D overdose is excessive accumulation of calcium in the body which causes lack of appetite, nausea, and may lead to kidney problems. Since my multi-vitamin and calcium supplement together only contain 2000 i.u. of vitamin D, there doesn't appear to be a risk of overdose considering I get little to no sun most of the year and wear sunscreen during the summer months. For more information about vitamin D dosing, the Mayo Clinic has a nice little article so click here.

*Disclaimer: I'm just doing research and sharing what I learn. This is not advice.*

#55 - Heron

While walking around at Waterfront Park in Louisville yesterday, I got an awesome picture of a modern day Pterodactyl! Ok, it's actually called a heron but I'm pretty sure it's a mini pterodactyl. I'm pretty proud of this awesome picture. :)

Some strange facts about mini pterodactyls  herons:

1) Herons are often mistaken for cranes and vice versa. In fact, I thought the bird I photographed was a crane but learned it's a heron while looking up info to blog about it.

2) Heron are located on all continents except Antarctica.

3) Herons don't have webbed feet like many birds.  They have four toes per foot. Three of the toes point forward and one points backward. This gives them a little stability and also let's the grip things. 

4) Herons have been known to choke to death from trying to swallow fish too big to fit down their throats. 

5) Herons can live up to 15 years in the wild.

6) The feathers down the back of the heron's head are called plumbs and are important in attracting mates. 

7) Roast herons were a popular food at medieval banquets.

8) The fat of a heron killed at midnight was once believed to cure rheumatism. 

9) Herons have a specially shaped clam on their third toe for combing their feathers.

10) Herons sometimes visit decorative pounds and steal the goldfish! hahaha!

#54 - Ziplining

My wonderful husband took me for adventure to celebrate our anniversary this weekend. One part of the day we spent riding ziplines through caves in Louisville, KY.  Not only was it my first time on a zipline, the Mega Cavern in Louisville is the only all underground zipline adventure.

Due to the nature of ziplining, I didn't get any pictures of me in action. It was a lot of fun though we didn't go down the line as fast as I thought we would. I curled up into a little ball trying to go faster but it didn't work too well really. lol Ziplines are angled down then back up a slightly so that they slow you down a little at the end of the line (to keep you from crashing into the wall or the guide who is at the end of the line to help catch you). The video above is one of the Mega Cavern's promotional video.


Here are some cool facts about the Mega Cavern:

The Louisville Mega Cavern was an operational limestone mine from 1930s to 1970s.

The cavern has over 17 miles of passageways that run underneath Louisville, KY.

The Mega Cavern is classified by the State of Kentucky as a building which makes it the largest building in the state.

The Mega Cavern houses a recycling center. This recycling center is the largest in Kentucky. In fact, it houses more recycling tonnage than all the other recycling centers in Kentucky combined!!

Most of the lights in the Mega Cavern are motion sensor activated to conserve power.

#53 - Limestone and Bourbon

Best of Kentucky Bourbon Print by designedbydallas on Etsy, $40

Whether you drink bourbon (or alcohol at all, for that matter), check this out... It's an interesting little fact of Kentucky culture. :)

Yesterday during our zipline tour in Louisville (I'll be blogging about that also), our guide told us about the importance of limestone in the bourbon industry.

95% of the world's bourbon is made in Kentucky!

Kentucky Bourbon Art Print by MCRomagueraArt, $39

Why is Kentucky the home of bourbon?

In one word, limestone!

One of the things I noticed when I moved to Kentucky was the build up of this white mineral deposit on the filter of my aquarium and in my fountain. I later learned it was calcium deposits because the water here in much of Kentucky runs through limestone which filters out a lot of minerals (such as iron) and adds calcium and magnesium. Water low in iron and high in calcium and calcium is good for the fermentation process of alcohol and for the flavor of whiskey.

Bourbon is a type of whiskey. Not all whiskey is bourbon. In order for whiskey to be called bourbon:

1) It must be made in the United States.

2) It must be made from a grain recipe which is at least 51%  but no more than 79% corn.

3) The whiskey must be aged for at least 2 years in new oak barrels that are charred inside. Most bourbon is aged 4 years or longer.

4) It must be distilled to no more than 160 proof.

5) Nothing can be added to enhance color, sweetness, or flavor.





Another random, yet related fact:

Bourbon Soap/Lotion Dispense by EstepWoodWorkandSuch on Etsy, $10

This past month, Maker's Mark announced their plans to cut the alcohol content of their bourbon from 45% to 42%. It takes a long time to age bourbon and Maker's Mark was hoping to increase their supply of bourbon by decreasing the alcohol content slightly. Let's just say that didn't go over so well. Last week, due to the backlash from customers, Maker's Mark announced they won't be watering down their bourbon after all. You can read more about it here.

#52 - Choosing a Prenatal Vitamin: New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal vs. Nature's Way Completia Prenatal

Over the last few posts, I've reviewed five different prenatal vitamins and discussed the pros and cons of each of them. Today I've narrowed my choices down to two and will compare and contrast these too and make a decision. Vitafusion Gummy Prenatal vitamins were immediately ruled out due to their lack of iron and calcium. I then ruled out GNC Prenatal with Iron and Rainbow Light Prenatal vitamins because they're a little higher in folic acid than I think I need. Recommendations for folic acid prior to and during pregnancy is 400-800 mcg. Both of these vitamins have 1000mcg. It's important to realize that many foods also contain folate which is the naturally occuring version of folic acid. (I didn't know folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin!) The safe upper limit for folic acid set by the Institute of Medicine is 1,000 mcg/day for adults. For further information on folic acid, click here. So anyways, these two vitamins would provide too much folic acid considering I'd still be eating foods with folate in them (spinach, citrus fruits, etc) and foods fortified with folic acid (orange juice, cereal, etc) as well. ;)

So after ruling out those three vitamins, my two remaining choices are New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal and Nature's Way Completia Prenatal vitamins.

Here's a quick visual comparison of the two:

 I think either of these two vitamins would be appropriate for me in preparing for pregnancy. Obviously when I finally get to meet with my doctor she can do blood work to determine any other deficiencies and/or recommend a different vitamin if she wants to do so.


Nature's Way is less expensive than New Chapter. But it's also below recommendations in more vitamins. However, it's important to recommend that vitamins are meant to ensure you get the recommendations...not necessarily to provide them at the full dose. I'll also be getting vitamins from the foods I eat. When I looked up reviews on the Nature's Way vitamins, they got 2.5-3 out of 5 stars. Some of the reasons people didn't like them was because you have to take 2 of them twice a day and they are really large. Others commented that they taste horrible and they couldn't take them when they were pregnant due to the smell and nausea. If these beat out of the New Chapter vitamins by a long shot, I might try to deal with the taste and smell, but there's really not a major difference in the two and if either of them provide more vitamins, the New Chapter ones win out. For some of the reviews on the Nature's Way Prenatal Completia vitamins, click the links below:

Drugstore.com reviews for Nature's Way Prenatal Completia
Amazon.com reviews for Nature's Way Prenatal Completia
Vitacost.com reviews for Nature's Way Prenatal Completia

New Chapter Organics Prenatal vitamins are more expensive than Nature's Way. But the reviews on them are really good. These vitamins average around 4-4.5 out of 5 stars. They have a little more folic acid than the Nature's Way vitamins but not so much  more that I worry I'll get too much. New Chapter vitamins are a bit low in calcium and iron but that's easy to take care of with diet and/or a calcium and iron supplement. I'll be tracking my food intake via myfitnesspal.com so I'll be able to determine if these supplements are needed or not. Some reviews on New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal vitamins are available below:

Amazon.com reviews for New Chapter Organics Prenatal
Drugstore.com reviews for New Chapter Organics Prenatal
Vitacost.com reviews for New Chapter Organics Prenatal

So for now, I'm going to try New Chapter Organics Prenatal vitamins. I'll let you know later how it goes. :)

#51 - Choosing a Prenatal Vitamin: Nature's Way Completia Prenatal

Meets recommendations for the following:

• Folic acid/folate
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin K

Exceeds recommendations for the following:

• Biotin
• Biotin is water soluble therefore it is unlikely to cause overdose symptoms since you excrete extra during urination.
• Calcium
• this product offers a little extra calcium than recommended but your body can absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time

Under Recommendations for the following:

• Iron
• Pregnant women need more iron – up to 50% more than non-pregnant women. I struggle to get enough iron not pregnant so having iron in my vitamin will be essential. This vitamin is a bit lower than the recommended dose for pregnancy but I will be tracking food intake so it’s possible I can make up the difference with diet. If not, iron supplements are inexpensive and I could add a table or ½ a tablet during the day if needed.
• Copper
• This is one that it might be best to err on the side of too little and make up the rest with food especially considering copper deficiencies are uncommon. Too much copper can damage the liver and kidneys.  However, humans (and other mammals) have efficient mechanisms to regulate copper stores copper overdose is not very common.
• Some foods high in copper are chocolate/cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and herbs such as oregano, marjoram, and basil.
• Vitamin D
• Recent research shows that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a widespread problem-- even for women who take prenatal supplements.
• Though this prenatal vitamin is low, vitamin D supplements are readily available and inexpensive.
• Also sunlight causes our bodies to produce Vitamin D. However, being blonde-headed and fair skinned (which means I burn easily!) I cannot rely on the sun for my vitamin D needs as much as I would like.
• Vitamin B6
• Only slightly below recommendations and vitamin B6 is in many foods I love such as avocado, bananas, nuts, poulty, and meat.
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) is found in many foods so a healthy diet should make up the rest of the niacin requirements.
• Vitamin E
• Too much vitamin E has been linked to congenital heart defects. However, this is at doses greater than 300 mg per day so this product should not be a problem in terms of vitamin E.
• Vitamin B1
• Though this product is a bit low in Vitamin B1, this shouldn’t be a problem considering many fruits and vegetables and other foods contain vitamin B1.
• Vitamin B2
• Lots of foods that have vitamin B2 including red meats and leafy vegetables. However, vitamin B2 is a water-soluble vitamin. That means that it cannot be stored in your body and must be constantly replenished because your body flushes it out on a daily basis.
•  Though this product is only slightly low in vitamin B1, so it could easily be made up for with a healthy diet.
• Iodine
• Iodine deficiency use to be a common problem in the US, but the addition of iodine to salt has improved public health; therefore having a low iodine content in this prenatal vitamin doesn’t worry me since it can easily be made up with salt with added iodine.
• Magnesium
• Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones. Magnesium is also required for the proper function of nerves, muscles, and many other parts of the body. In the stomach, magnesium helps neutralize stomach acid and moves stools through the intestine.
• I’ll check myfitnesspal.com nutrition to see how much magnesium I’m averaging daily before deciding to supplement. This prenatal vitamin will get me half way to my magnesium goal so I might be able to make up the difference with diet.
• Selenium
• Pregnant women have a slightly higher need for selenium than non-pregnant women. However, women living in the United States usually get enough selenium through diet.
• Chromium
• Deficiency of chromium is rare. And this product is only 5mcg lower than the recommended dose so it would be easy to make up the difference with a healthy diet. 

Lacks the following:

• Manganese
• I probably get enough manganese via diet but I’ll check it out on my nutrition log to be sure.
• Molybdenum
• Molybdenum is a trace mineral found in foods such as milk, cheese, cereal grains, legumes, nuts, leafy vegetables, and organ meats.
• Though this vitamin doesn’t contain molybdenum, such a small amount is needed that I’m certain I get enough of it considering my love of cheese. :)

#50 - Choosing a Prenatal Vitamin: New Chapter Organics Perfect Prenatal

Meets recommendations for the following:

• Folic Acid/Folate
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin A
• Manganese
• Molybdenum
• Vitamin K

Exceeds recommendations for the following:

• Vitamin B12
• no known risks from too much Vitamin B12. This vitamin is water soluble therefore you excrete extra via urination.
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin E in very high doses may interfere with the body's ability to clot blood, posing a risk to people already taking prescribed blood thinners.
• Vitamin E excess has been shown to be linked to congenital heart defects – this was seen at doses over 300 mg a day so this product does not appear to have that risk since even with added diet, it’s a long ways from 300mg a day
• Vitamin B1
• Thiamine  (Vitamin B1) is generally safe. Very high doses may cause stomach upset however, 4mg is not considered a high dose.
• Biotin
• Biotin is water soluable therefore it is unlikely to cause overdose symptoms since you excrete extra during urination.
• Vitamin B2
• There is no known toxicity to vitamin B2. Because riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin, excess amounts are easily excreted by the body in the urine.
• Vitamin B5
• Being among the B vitamins, and a water-soluble vitamin, vitamin B5 is therefore eliminated immediately from the body through the urinary system.
• Chromium
• Excess intake of chromium is not known to cause any adverse effects. However, people who have kidney and liver disorders are likely to suffer from an overdose of chromium.

Below recommendation for the following:

• Calcium
•  your body can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time
• Because I don’t drink very much milk I would possibly need to add a calcium supplement if I decide to use this prenatal vitamin.
• I plan to track my food intake on myfitnesspal.com to determine my current intake of calcium and decide whether to supplement or not.
•  Iron
• Pregnant women need more iron – up to 50% more than non-pregnant women. I struggle to get enough iron not pregnant so having iron in my vitamin will be essential. This vitamin is a bit lower than the recommended dose for pregnancy but I will be tracking food intake so it’s possible I can make up the difference with diet. If not, iron supplements are inexpensive and I could add a table or ½ a tablet during the day if needed.
• Zinc
• zinc deficiency may also cause an increase in preterm birth
• The daily requirement for zinc during pregnancy is 15 milligrams, but a higher dose may be needed. That’s because high intake of folic acid can interfere with absorption of zinc and thus create a deficiency of this mineral.
• I think I can make this one up with diet. The vitamin will get me to half the dose and some foods high in zinc include chocolate! , beef, and eggs.
• Copper
• This is one that it might be best to err on the side of too little and make up the rest with food especially considering copper deficiencies are uncommon. Too much copper can damage the liver and kidneys.  However, humans (and other mammals) have efficient mechanisms to regulate copper stores copper overdose is not very common.
• Some foods high in copper are chocolate/cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and herbs such as oregano, marjoram, and basil.
• Iodine
• Iodine deficiency use to be a common problem in the US, but the addition of iodine to salt has improved public health; therefore having a low iodine content in this prenatal vitamin doesn’t worry me since it can easily be made up with salt with added iodine.
• Selenium
• Pregnant women have a slightly higher need for selenium than non-pregnant women. However, women living in the United States usually get enough selenium through diet.
•  Magnesium
• Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones. Magnesium is also required for the proper function of nerves, muscles, and many other parts of the body. In the stomach, magnesium helps neutralize stomach acid and moves stools through the intestine.
• Though lots of foods contain magnesium, I think I will consider a supplement should I ultimately choose this prenatal vitamin. Again, I’ll check myfitnesspal nutrition to see how much magnesium I’m averaging daily before deciding to supplement.

Verdict: Maybe

#49 - Choosing a Prenatal Vitamin: GNC Prenatal with Iron

Meets recommendations for:

• Zinc
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin A
• Biotin
• Vitamin B5
• Manganese
• Molybdenum

Exceeds recommendations for the following:

• Folic acid/folate 
• Too much folic acid can interfere with the absorption of zinc 
•  Several sources stated an upper limit of 800 mcg of folic acid and considering I already take in some folic acid/folate taking this supplement may put me in a very high intake range  
• Calcium (recommended dose 200 – 300 mg – dose in this product 600 mg)
• your body can only absorb about 500 mg of calcium at a time therefore you’ll get the maximum dose that your body can absorb and then excrete the extra
• Vitamin C (recommended dose 50 – 70 mg – dose in this product 120 mg)
• Vitamin C is water soluble so you excrete whatever you don’t need.
• Vitamin B12 (recommended dose 6 mcg – dose in this product 66 mcg)
•  No known harm with overdose on B vitamins since you excrete extra via urination
• Vitamin E (recommended dose 10 mg or 30 i.u. – dose in this product 60 i.u.)
• Too much vitamin E has been linked to congenital heart defects. However, this is at doses greater than 300 mg per day so this product should not be a problem in terms of vitamin E.
• Iodine (recommended dose 220 mcg – dose in this product 290 mcg)
• Iodine deficiency use to be a common problem in the US, but the addition of iodine to salt has improved public health; therefore having a low iodine content in this prenatal vitamin doesn’t worry me since it can easily be made up with salt with added iodine.
• Selenium
• Pregnant women have a slightly higher need for selenium than non-pregnant women. However, women living in the United States usually get enough selenium through diet.
• selenium toxicity at dosages as low as 400 mcg per day but this product only supplies 50 mcg so it’s unlikely to lead to overdose since there’s plenty of room for selenium intake via diet
• Chromium
• Excess intake of chromium is not known to cause any adverse effects for most people. However, people who have kidney and liver disorders are likely to suffer from an overdose of chromium.

Below recommendations for the following:

• Iron
• Pregnant women need more iron – up to 50% more than non-pregnant women. I struggle to get enough iron not pregnant so having iron in my vitamin will be essential. This vitamin is a bit lower than the recommended dose for pregnancy but I will be tracking food intake so it’s possible I can make up the difference with diet. If not, iron supplements are inexpensive and I could add a table or ½ a tablet during the day if needed.
• Copper
• This is one that it might be best to err on the side of too little and make up the rest with food especially considering copper deficiencies are uncommon. Too much copper can damage the liver and kidneys.  However, humans (and other mammals) have efficient mechanisms to regulate copper stores copper overdose is not very common.
• Some foods high in copper are chocolate/cocoa powder, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and herbs such as oregano, marjoram, and basil.
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B3 (Niacin) is found in many foods so a healthy diet should make up the rest of the niacin requirements.
• Magnesium
• Magnesium is required for the proper growth and maintenance of bones. Magnesium is also required for the proper function of nerves, muscles, and many other parts of the body. In the stomach, magnesium helps neutralize stomach acid and moves stools through the intestine.
• I’ll check myfitnesspal.com nutrition to see how much magnesium I’m averaging daily before deciding to supplement. This prenatal vitamin will get me half way to my magnesium goal so I might be able to make up the difference with diet.

Lacks the following:

• Vitamin K
• Easy to reach intake requirements via diet. Vitamin K deficiency is very rare.

Verdict: Maybe though the folic acid content is a bit high considering I'd also be eating foods that contain folic acid.

**Disclaimer - I am blogging these to help you learn more about the prenatal vitamins. I'm just a person like you are so do your own research before choosing a vitamin. I'm simply sharing what I learned and what I think about it.